


The Villain I Appear to Be

by monogramsalarm



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anti-Hero, F/M, Gen, M/M, taako's a villain babeyyyy, we got both fluff and angst here, we got that too!!, y'all want some DRAMA?!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-11-23 08:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monogramsalarm/pseuds/monogramsalarm
Summary: When Lup disappears, Taako reaches out to the Bureau of Balance- an organization made by and for the people of the city of Neverwinter with abilities. After trying, and failing, to reach out to them, Taako takes his fate into his own hands and decides to torment the Bureau as a sort of revenge. His resilience catches up to him, however, when the Bureau of Balance's two Reclaimers take him in and he becomes a project for them, a villain to rehabilitate. Taako tries his best not to get attached, but decides to use them to get information about his sister's whereabouts and finds more than he bargained for.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey it's Matt here w an actually finished multi-chapter fic!! I'm REALLY excited about this one and have been working on it for a while, so please let me know what you think of it! I hope you're all ready to take this journey with me!
> 
> This chapter's just a short prologue to set up what's to come! Future updates will be longer, i promise!
> 
> xx Matt

_ Back soon.  _ The text  _ clearly  _ said “back soon,” but Lup still hadn’t made it home. Taako liked to think he wasn’t worried until that point, but the panic had set in the next morning. When she wasn’t there to tease him about how much sugar he added into his coffee, he felt the knot in his stomach that couldn’t go away; the ache that only spread through his body whenever he read the text. 

Two months later, “soon” seemed like some kind of sick joke.

Taako tried everything he could. Calling the police about a missing person, putting up signs everywhere, calling every person he knew… Nothing worked. He was out of his league. It was even harder to look, because technically, he and Lup didn’t exist. People with abilities weren’t outlawed, per se, but they were erased from records aside from the Bureau of Balance. The Bureau was an organization created by and for the heroes of the city, the first line of defense if anything were to happen, like a villain destroying the city of Neverwinter for what seemed like the millionth time or a hero going missing. The first line of defense that seemingly failed him.

Every day, Taako checked his email, listened out for calls, anything from the Bureau of Balance to indicate that they’d found Lup. Or even got his many messages. Anything but the radio silence that was slowly breaking him inside. But by that point, it dawned on him that the Bureau didn’t even care enough to get back to him. He reasoned that if they couldn’t send a stupid email telling him that they were looking into it, they definitely weren’t trying to find Lup. Everything seemed futile.

The voice in the back of his mind said to keep going, that he couldn’t lose hope. But it took all of his willpower just to get out and look every night. Lup was gone, and he had nothing else to keep himself going. For weeks, he noticed a dark shadow pursuing him, but it never confronted him. While it followed, Taako felt more and more upset, more angry about his unfair circumstances. Until one night, he had an epiphany: why not just go against the Bureau if they weren’t going to help him? He’d heard about people going rogue, kind of mild supervillains. Not destroying the entire city, but just causing tiny problems. And at that point? It sounded appealing. 

The Bureau wasn’t going to help him out, so he was going to do everything to oppose them without crossing a line. And who was going to stop him? His shapeshifting was finally going to come in handy. A new face every night, a whole city to search for Lup, defying the Bureau every step of the way. He had his whole life in front of him and he’d be damned if any of the Bureau’s “heroes” were going to stop him from finding his sister.

Years came and went and he somehow hadn’t gotten caught by the Bureau. Granted, he never interfered directly with them, just caused a few little problems here and there. Maybe he was responsible for multiple power outages in their big fancy facility-- which needed to be taken down a few notches anyways. He didn’t try to break in to get information; he didn’t care to figure out what was going on in there. He couldn’t have cared less about what the Bureau of Balance and their silly little heroes were doing. Nobody could prove that he’d caused any of the little issues and minor blunders the Bureau was facing. And as long as he had control of his powers, nobody would be able to even try.


	2. Chapter One- Five Years Later

Taako sighed, ducking into a familiar alleyway as he changed his appearance for the third time that night. The Bureau of Balance had been tracking him closely for months and he’d barely managed to get away each time. Years of blatant defiance were catching up to him, and he didn’t know how long he could keep it up for.

“Maggie, can you see him anywhere?” A low voice asked outside of the alley. Shit, they’d found him again. Taako held his breath, trying not to move a muscle.

“Pretty sure he went this way,” another voice chimed in, coming closer to where Taako was. He kept his eyes closed, then felt something creeping up his ankles. Suddenly, he was hoisted into the air, suspended upside down by some vines that seemed to move on their own. 

“Fucking hell, you have to be kidding me…” Taako muttered, finally coming face to face with his pursuers. A dwarven man with a bushy beard covered in flowers held his hands in the air, obviously the one in control of the plants. “Alright, I give up. Bureau finally caught up with me, you win,” he tried to hold up his hands in surrender, but the vines suddenly lashed out, binding his arms as they did his legs.

“Merle, I think you can let him down a little. He’s the one we’re looking for, Lucretia described someone who kept changing his appearance.” The taller one with bushy sideburns and scars covering his body crossed his arms, looking at Taako curiously.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Taako raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Lucretia?” The two men looked at each other before the taller one stepped forward.

“Yeah, uh, sorry about this.” He nodded to the one Taako assumed was Merle and the vines constricted in just the right way to make him pass out, everything suddenly fading to black.

He woke up hours later, alone in an unfamiliar, plain looking room. Taako sat up groggily, feeling a weight on his wrist. He looked down, seeing a bracer identical to the one the other man had. The Bureau of Balance’s symbol was engraved into it, as was a small number near the bottom.

“Hey, you feeling okay?” The man’s voice called out from the doorway, causing Taako to jump. “Whoa, it’s alright. I’m not here to beat you up or anything. I just wanted to check in,” he leaned against the doorway, a friendly smile spreading across his face.

“You… You trap me, wrap me up in vines, make me pass out, and now we’re buds?” Taako cleared his throat, his voice coming out strained. “Kinda fucked, my dude.” He sat up, shaking his head.

“We’re not all bad, Tay-ko.” He shrugged, causing Taako to get more infuriated.

“That’s another thing! I’ve never told you my name! And you’re out here acting like you know me completely.” Taako rose to his feet and stared the man down. “I’m not going to tell you people anything until I start getting answers,” he paused, then muttered “And it’s pronounced Taah-ko.”

“Fine by me, Tay.” He saw how upset Taako looked and sighed, holding out his hand. “I’m Magnus.”

“What?” Taako raised an eyebrow, giving him a dirty look.

“You said you wanted answers, so I’m giving you one. My name is Magnus. You know, a name for a name kinda thing. I knew your name so now you know mine.” He smiled, still holding out his hand for a handshake. Taako just glared at it, so he pulled his hand away. “Alrighty, um… The Director wanted to see you as soon as you got up, so that’s where I’m taking you now.”

“The Director? You mean the one in charge who blatantly ignored everything I asked of them?” Taako crossed his arms. “Yeah, I’d like to have a few words with this Director.” He walked towards the door and Magnus grinned in response, not noticing Taako’s animosity.

“Awesome! I’ll show you the way, just follow me, Tay!” He led Taako through winding hallways that all looked identical. Taako grumbled the whole way, muttering about the pronunciation of his name. Rounding a corner, they came to an office that had a plaque identifying it as the Director’s. Magnus knocked cheerfully, opening the door. “Hey Luce, he’s here to talk to you.”

“Thank you, Magnus.” A low woman’s voice called out. She wore a light blue blouse and had short white hair that Taako couldn’t tell if it was natural or not. She looked fairly young, but her face was weathered like she’d been through a lot. Taako came face to face with the Director and clenched his fist with every intention to give her a piece of his mind. A small smile crossed her face as she gestured to a seat at her desk. “Have a seat, Taako. We have a lot to discuss.”

“I’d rather stand, but thanks,” Taako set his jaw, trying not to show any emotion.

“Suit yourself!” She pulled a small file out, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Alright, so Taako Taaco… Age, one hundred and thirty-one years old, still a young elf. Abilities, shapeshifting and manipulation.” She paused, looking him over. “Though, I’m going to just keep the shapeshifting and chalk the other one up to you having a way with people.” The Director continued, looking through the file, only to see that it was just a few notes. “Only one known relative, your twin sister Lup Taaco. Does that sound right?”

“Don’t…” Taako trailed off as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t talk about Lup.” He slowly sat down in the chair in front of her desk, refusing to make eye contact.

“At all? Noted.” Lucretia tucked a second, thicker file away in her desk drawer. “Well, I’m just going to ask you a couple of questions. Is that alright with you?”

“No, it’s not.” Taako furrowed his brows, looking down at his hands in his lap. He felt something like a grip in his chest and snapped his head up, seeing the Director’s face mildly amused.

“Either way, I’m just going to ask you a few things.” She pulled out a notebook and pen. “I don’t know if you know what my ability is, but I have the innate power to… Compel others to tell the truth.”

“I fucking knew you’d be pulling some shit like this…” He muttered, then realized he didn’t mean to say it out loud.

“Let’s start with something easy, so I can fill your profile out more extensively. How exactly do your powers work?” She glanced him over, keeping her pen at the ready.

“It’s pretty simple. I can make myself look like anyone I can imagine,” Taako raised an eyebrow playfully. “Well, only if I want to still look like a person. Otherwise, just take this obnoxious shade of purple I’ve got on, put it on any living creature, and that’s it. There’s no limits as far as I’ve been able to tell, aside from only being something that’s alive and if it’s not humanoid, I have to be this gaudy purple. Kind of a brand.”

“How long have you been actively working against the Bureau of Balance?” The Director spoke up, her voice gaining more authority.

“Lup’s been gone for five years and four months, but I started my work a little after that.” Taako shot a distrustful look in her direction. “I’m not gonna admit what I did, though.”

“Alright, then why did you start opposing us?” She looked up, making eye contact with him. Taako fell silent. He wasn’t lying if he just didn’t talk, right? For a few minutes, all they heard was the clock on the wall ticking, each time growing louder as Taako dragged out the silence. The Director sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “I know it’s a rough topic, but anything from you would help.”

“Well…” Taako thought for a second on how to phrase it. “You want me to be brutally honest?” He looked her up and down.

“That would be helpful, yes.” She nodded, twirling her pen around in her hand.

“I was angry.” Taako took a deep breath. “Angry because Lup disappeared and nobody could help. You were supposed to be the ones who helped people like us a-and you just straight up ignored any cries for help from me! I just wanted—“ His voice broke and he stopped, looking away. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I just wanted my goddamn sister back and I couldn’t even get that from you. So, I decided to not give a shit anymore and try to get you to see what happens when you ignore your own people.”

“That’s what sent you over the edge. You just wanted Lup back and were upset when you didn’t get help?” The Director took notes in Taako’s file. He nodded silently in response, wiping a stray tear away. “Thank you for being honest, Taako. I know what we’re going to do with you.”

“Let me go?” He muttered, laughing bitterly to himself. She laughed a little, closing his file.

“No, we’re going to use you for insight. You’re going to work closely with the Reclaimers you met last night and help them.” She stood up. “The bracer you’re wearing currently suppresses your powers and won’t let you outside the walls of the Bureau of Balance’s headquarters without another member of the Bureau nearby.” Taako looked down at his wrist, raising an eyebrow. He tapped the bracer to try to find any sort of seam or way to get it off. “Only I have the ability to remove your bracer, Taako. And I’m not letting you go that easily.”

“What do the Reclaimers do exactly? If I’m gonna be stuck helping them, I might as well learn what I’m doing.” Taako crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

“The Reclaimers find people with abilities who might be at risk and bring them in. Sometimes they’ll find a kid who doesn’t have control over their powers, sometimes it’ll be someone who’s been injured and can’t see a doctor because of their ability, or it’ll be a villain like yourself who we feel can be rehabilitated and given a new outlook on life.” She opened the door to her office, leaning out into the hall. “Almost done out there, Magnus?”

“Just finished, Lucretia!” Taako could hear his voice booming through the halls. The Director turned to him, gesturing to the door.

“You’re free to go anywhere in the Bureau of Balance’s headquarters. Magnus and Merle have set up an actual room for you, not just the temporary one you were in before. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She smiled pleasantly. Taako rolled his eyes, pushing himself up off the chair and leaving the room without another word. “Hey, Taako.” She called after him, causing him to pause. “Despite what you think, we’re on your side. We just want to help you get through this after failing you before.” She sighed. He couldn’t help but feel a little bad. She sounded so genuine and figured she _ did _want to help, but he couldn’t let go of the fact that Lup was probably gone forever because of them. 

Magnus showed him to a plain-looking room on the other side of the sprawling complex. It was similar to the dorms he stayed in during college. Taako bit down on his lip, looking over to Magnus.

“Can I get something else to wear other than my dumb spandex suit?” He tugged on the fabric of his outfit. “This isn’t the most comfortable thing to be wearing.” A thought hit his mind and he grabbed Magnus by the shoulders. “I need to talk to someone, can I use a phone or _ something? _” Taako furrowed his brows in anger. “I can’t just disappear and not tell my boyfriend where I am, t-that’s just not fair to leave someone hanging!”

“Hey, relax, Tay. We’ll get you clothes and I’ll talk to the Director so we can get your life all sorted out. Old jobs, people you need to contact, those kind of things,” Magnus tried to reassure him, but Taako pulled away. They all seemed to earnest and willing to help, but he wasn’t going to give up his trust so easily. He knew they knew something about Lup’s disappearance, and they wouldn’t even let him make a short call to his boyfriend to put both of their minds at ease. Some things couldn’t be forgiven just like that; he needed time and a _ really _big reason to change his mind about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got impatient w myself bc I didn't post a full chapter soooo.... Here's the first REAL chapter for y'all! I really hope you enjoy it, bc this might be one of my favorite things I've ever written! Please lemme know what you think abt it! I'm hyped for the story to unfold and for you guys to see it! :D
> 
> xx Matt


	3. Chapter Two- Back Again

Taako walked with Magnus and Merle, slightly trailing behind them. Every time he would lag a little too far behind, his bracer would force him to stay within a hundred feet of them. Whenever he would feel his bracer tug him towards them, he audibly groaned and jogged to catch back up, being met with a stupidly cheerful grin from Magnus and a sarcastic comment from Merle.

“Maybe I should grow you some tomatoes so you’d ketchup.” Merle snickered to himself as Taako huffed in annoyance. “You know, like… Catch up, ketchup? And I can grow plants?” Merle made a small path of flowers sprout ahead of them for emphasis, which Taako made an effort to completely trample.

“Yeah, we got it, Merle.” Magnus chuckled, stretching his arms as the three of them walked through the city. This was the fourth night in a row that Taako had been dragged along with, the three of them just patrolling the streets. They never made it completely clear why they did it, though Taako figured it was the equivalent of busy work. If they didn’t have any immediate leads on anyone to bring in, they’d go find someone of their own. They were just killing time and forcing Taako to be a part of it.

“Any specific reason you guys brought me out to this shitty side of town?” Taako crossed his arms over his chest. “Because it’s fuckin’ cold out and I’m ready to go to bed.”

“Actually, uh… Yeah. We’re not just patrolling tonight.” Magnus gestured around them. “You don’t recognize the area, Tay?” Taako decided to shrug off the fact that Magnus wouldn’t let up with the annoying nickname, instead looking around at his surroundings. Of course Taako recognized the area; he lived there. At least he used to, before they snatched him up a few days before.

“Okay, but  _ why  _ are we in my old neighborhood? To rub it into my face that your fancy Bureau can afford a giant establishment in the nice part of the city?” Taako habitually started walking up the steps of his building, then stopped when he realized he wasn’t staying there anymore. He sat down on the steps and wrapped his arms around his knees. Magnus held out his hand to help Taako up.

“Well, Lucretia, er… The Director, felt like it would be a good idea to let you come back to your place for a night or two. Y’know, tie up loose ends, pack up things you want to keep with you.”

“I actually get to go back to my place?” Taako stood up, his ears perking up slightly. “As in… I actually get to see my apartment again?"

“Surprise, kiddo. We’re not as big of assholes as you think.” Merle joined them at the top of the stairs as Taako took off running into the building. This time, Merle and Magnus had to keep up with  _ him. _ They found Taako on the third floor, standing on his toes to reach the spare key on top of the doorframe. He grinned as he found it and opened the door to his apartment. He seemed more lively than the two had seen him before, obviously in his comfort zone. The apartment was surprisingly neat and organized; Taako had obviously taken a lot of care in his home.

“Oh, fuck,” Taako muttered as he picked up his phone from the kitchen counter, unplugging it from the charger. “Shit, he’s gotta be so worried. I  _ told  _ you I needed to talk to him.” He scrolled through the dozens of texts and calls, all from his boyfriend. He dialed the familiar number, sitting down on the back of the couch. His face lit up as the person on the other end answered. “Hey, babe! I-I know you’ve been worried, I am  _ so  _ fucking sorry that I scared you like that.” Taako tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Yeah, no, trust me, I didn’t…” Taako looked back at Magnus and Merle, sighing. “Didn’t expect to be gone so long.” Merle sat down in a chair and Magnus just stood in the doorway, neither one of them knowing what to do as Taako continued the conversation. He talked for a bit, explaining the situation with the Bureau of Balance and reassuring him that he would be back eventually.

“I’m sorry again, Krav.” Taako paused, laughing a little. “Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not my fault. I still feel bad for abandoning you for four days with nothing.” Merle cleared his throat, causing Taako to jump. He’d forgotten they were there entirely, only focused on his boyfriend. “Listen, I think I gotta go. I’ll keep my phone on me, though. Call you every night, okay? I love you  _ so  _ much, Kravitz. Goodnight! Have a good day at work tomorrow.” He hung up, looking at Merle. “I  _ do  _ get to keep my phone, right? I don’t want to scare him like that again.” He swallowed hard, thinking of the dread he felt when Lup didn’t come home and could only imagine that it was what Kravitz had felt when he didn’t call back for days.

“Eh, as long as we don’t tell Lucretia, it should be fine.” Merle smiled. “Don’t wanna ruin your life just because we’ve got you on lockdown.”

“Less of lockdown and more like babysitting.” Magnus teased as he walked further into the room. “So, what do you need to pack up? We can get everything together tonight, go get boxes, and pack it tomorrow.”

“Well, a little bit of everything. I’m worried that if I don’t take something, it’ll disappear forever.” Taako rubbed the back of his neck. Magnus’ expression softened as he made eye contact with Taako.

“You know we’re not just kidnapping you, right Tay? You can come back here if you need, or we can get storage space for you to keep things in. We want you to be comfortable at the Bureau.” Taako scoffed in response, pushing himself up off the couch as he walked to the opposite end of the room. Magnus stopped him, grabbing his arm gently. Taako tried to pull away, getting more frustrated by the second.

“What is your problem? I just don’t want to be captured in your shitty facility, you don’t have to feel personally offended that I’m a little upset.” He finally tore himself away. “I’m not gonna be your best friend, so you can stop being fake nice to me, Magnus. And you can stop using that dumbass nickname like I’m your best bud,” With a turn of his heel, Taako walked down the hall, closing the door to his bedroom behind him. Magnus sighed. It was going to take a lot longer for Taako to trust them than he thought, but he wasn’t going to give up. Lucretia saw potential in him, and he knew Taako would warm up to them eventually. They just needed time. Merle shifted, walking across the room to examine the contents of Taako’s bookshelves.

“So, are we going to tell him that his sister is alive? And works with us?” He picked up a book, quickly glancing over at Magnus. “He might like us better that way. Might tolerate the nickname you’ve saddled him with,” he pointed out. Magnus snorted in response.

“Are you kidding? We couldn’t get two words out once we mentioned her. He’s super torn up about it, if we said anything about Lup, he’d just attack us.” He lay back on the couch. “Besides, Lucy told me that we’re not allowed to let him know until she comes back from the recon mission.” Looking over to Merle, he waved towards the loveseat across the room. “Might as well settle in, Merle. Looks like we’re staying the night here.”

The next morning, Taako woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking in his apartment. He sat up quickly, then groaned upon remembering the events of the night before. A sharp ring startled him, any tiredness immediately leaving him.

“Hey, babe.” Taako grumbled, resting his phone on his shoulder.

“You doing okay, Taako? I feel like you were pushed off the phone last night. Are these Bureau people really strict or something?” Kravitz’ voice came through the phone, sounding like he was walking around outside. Taako sighed, tapping the speaker phone icon as he shifted his position to pull on his favorite sweater.

“I think I’m fine, I’m just… I dunno, irritated?” Taako crossed his legs. “I guess it’s not the worst thing in the world that they took me in. If anyone has answers about Lup, it’s them. I just hate that they always have to be around me. And give me stupid nicknames that don’t even  _ sound _ like my name,” He paused, his brows furrowing. “Wait, why are you so chill about this? You boyfriend’s essentially been kidnapped, and you’re just relaxed about the whole situation!”

“It’s not like some murderer took you and is holding you hostage, it’s the Bureau of Balance. Despite what you think, they actually do good, Taako.” Kravitz sounded like he was right next to traffic going by on the other end. “I know we have a “no work” rule and you don’t like me throwing my hero lifestyle in your face, but I’ve been allied with them for years, I think it’ll do you some good. The Director loves me, she’ll have no problem with me visiting you nearly every single day.” There were more sounds in the background which sounded weirdly familiar. Taako raised a single eyebrow, walking across the room to the window.

“Babe, are you outside the building right now?” He pushed the curtain aside, seeing Kravitz walking up to the front steps. He hung up the phone, opening up his window. “Fuckin’ nerd! Could have told me you were coming by!” Kravitz grinned up at him.

“Where’s the fun in that?” He walked up the steps. “I’m going to meet you upstairs!”

“I’ll be at the door!” Taako laughed, tossing his phone across the room. He quickly left his bedroom, ignoring Magnus and Merle in the kitchen. He unlocked the front door just as Kravitz knocked once and swung it open. Taako threw his arms around Kravitz, standing on his toes to kiss him. “Missed you, Krav.” Taako murmured, sighing deeply.

“You doing okay?” Kravitz looked him up and down. Taako nodded, hugging him tightly.

“I’m just really happy to see you.” He smiled a little, kissing him once more. Kravitz took his hand, gently lifting it up to look at the bracer on his arm. “It doesn’t hurt, don’t worry.” Taako nudged him. “Just stops my powers, kinda like your gloves,” he planted a small kiss to Kravitz’ gloved hands. His stomach grumbled and he began to walk to the kitchen, suddenly stopping as he remembered Magnus and Merle were in there.

“Is something wrong, babe?” Kravitz eyed him over.

“Just those Bureau assholes.” Taako sighed, continuing to walk to the kitchen. “It’s fine, I was gonna have to face them eventually. Come meet the guys who kidnapped your boyfriend!” He cheered sarcastically as they walked into the kitchen together. Magnus stood at the stove, cooking bacon and eggs while Merle sat on the counter whistling cheerfully. He noticed Taako and Kravitz coming into the room and waved.

“Sleep well, Taako?” Magnus handed a plate over to him. Taako eyed it suspiciously and Merle snorted.

“We aren’t poisoning you, kiddo. You can relax.” He sipped a cup of tea as Taako reluctantly took a bite of the eggs, sitting at the breakfast bar. Magnus smiled at Kravitz, handing him a plate as well.

“You’re Taako’s boyfriend, right?” Kravitz nodded.

“Yep, I’m Kravitz.” He paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “I feel like I’ve seen you around the Bureau before.” He looked from Magnus to Merle. “Maybe you don’t recognize me, hold on.” He grabbed some black and red fabric from his pocket, draping it over his nose and mouth as he pulled his hair back.

“Holy shit, you’re the Reaper!” Merle cheered, hopping off the counter. “I knew I recognized you from somewhere.”

“You mean the six times we’ve worked together to track someone down?” Magnus snorted in response.“Well, glad to see you again, Kravitz.” He paused to dish up the rest of the food. “Sorry we kinda kidnapped Taako without giving him a chance to tell you.”

“I think he could use some introspection, to be quite honest.” Kravitz sat beside Taako, kissing him gently on the cheek. Taako pouted, clenching his fist around the fork. The only thing worse than Bureau employees being too friendly with him was Bureau employees being too friendly with his boyfriend, who apparently had history together.

“You carry your mask around with you?” Taako mumbled as he poured himself a glass of juice. Kravitz shrugged, tucking it back into his pocket.

“You never know when you’re gonna need to have a quick disguise.” He began to eat his breakfast. “This is some good shit, Magnus. I should stop by the Bureau more if you’re making breakfast everyday.” Magnus chuckled, leaning against the counter.

“Well thanks, Kravitz. It’s just my wife’s special technique. The trick is to grease the pan with butter only, then crack the eggs directly into the pan, not scramble them beforehand.” Magnus winked, grinning as he started to scrub the pan. “Though, she always made them way better than I can.” He paused for a moment before gesturing between Taako and Kravitz. “How did you two meet? Seems like Neverwinter’s most annoying villain and the city’s most decorated hero wouldn’t have gotten along.”

“It’s a funny story, actually,” Kravitz began, ignoring Taako’s glares. “We met at the coffee shop where I work during the day and dated for two years before finding out about the other’s secret identity. I should’ve figured out that the villain I’d been tracking down and having run-ins with was my boyfriend the whole time, but I guess love makes you a little blind to those types of things.”

“And now you just accept that he’s a villain?” Merle questioned, cocking his head in confusion.

“We made a deal not to talk about what happens outside of civilian life. I don’t talk about hero work, he doesn’t talk about what he’s getting up to in his cute purple costume.” Kravitz chuckled lightly, planting a kiss to Taako’s head, who just grumbled in response. The rest of breakfast was tense and quiet. Adding in the fact that conversations would get started but fall flat once Taako tried to shut them down, the apartment had a stressful energy to it. After cleaning up, Magnus stretched his arms and began to walk to the door.

“I’m going to go get boxes and the truck from the Bureau. Merle’s gonna stay here with Tay so he’s not dragged along with.” He smiled warmly.

“I can help pack Taako’s things.” Kravitz chimed in, taking a hold of his boyfriend’s hand. Taako grumbled, laying his head against Kravitz. He hated how well they were getting along. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he thought at least Krav would be on his side- that he would agree that this wasn’t what he needed. At least there was a silver lining to his punishment; the mystery behind Lup’s disappearance was inside the Bureau of Balance headquarters. He knew it had to be. If not, what was he even there for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all think I WOULDN'T bring Krav into this?? And the fact that Lup's been working w them the whole time and they didn't tell Taako? You ready for some drama down the road?? >:3  
Give me your thoughts n all that down below, thank you so SO much for reading, you don't know how much this fic means to me and every time I see another hit or another kudos or comment my lil heart does a !! bc I appreciate every little thing! Ily all!
> 
> xx Matt


	4. Chapter Three- Homecoming

A few weeks had passed of Taako training with Magnus and Merle and he’d been restless for the entire time. He wasn’t gonna lie; they’d definitely grown on him. If he weren’t so distracted by trying to find Lup, Taako would have considered them friends. Maybe asked them to spend some time together outside of Reclaimer missions. But there was too much work to be done. Taako had managed to get the key to the Director’s office, all that was left was to wait until she left for the evening to look for Lup’s file.

“Yeah, so Lucretia and I actually went to school together!” Magnus rambled on as the Reclaimers sat together in the Bureau headquarters’ cafeteria. “We grew up in the same neighborhood, but we didn’t meet until high school because her moms homeschooled her. Apparently she didn’t have good control over her abilities as a kid, which makes sense!” He sipped on his can of soda, unaware that Taako wasn’t listening.

“You shoulda seen me when my powers kicked in as a teen,” Merle chimed in. “I looked like a 4 '11” Green Giant, vines just wrapped around me and there were flowers  _ everywhere _ .” He and Magnus snickered as Taako nodded, completely distracted. His eyes darted back and forth past the Director’s closed office door at the top of the stairs behind them, and the front door just nearby. Magnus noticed his preoccupation and nudged him gently.

“Hey, you okay Tay?” Taako didn’t even try to refute the nickname at that point; he had a lot more on his mind.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m good.” Taako nodded, finally turning to them. “Must be a little tired, that’s all.” He noticed the Director leaving her office, locking the door behind her. She walked past the Reclaimers on her way out, waving a little as she pulled her cardigan tighter around herself.

“Goodnight, boys. Try not to be up too late, okay? I know you have a scouting mission tomorrow.” She gave them a small, cautious smile. The three of them nodded and she kept walking to the big double doors at the front of the Bureau’s headquarters. Merle stretched his arms, yawning loudly.

“I should hit the hay. You two gonna head to bed too?”

“Yeah, I’ll head to the dorms with you in a sec.” Magnus nudged Taako gently. “Don’t stay up all night, okay?”

“Mmhm,” Taako smiled at him, faking a yawn. “I’ll be there soon, I just want to take a little walk to clear my head.” Magnus gave him a concerned look and Taako shoved him playfully. “Go get some sleep, Mags. I’ll be fine,” he tried to think of some sort of excuse. “You know I get like this when Krav is out on a mission, I just gotta take some Taako Time and remind myself he’s okay.” 

“You can stay in my room tonight if it gets to be a lot on you, Tay. I just wanna make sure you’re doing alright.” Magnus squeezed his shoulder gently before walking out of the cafeteria with Merle. Realizing he was finally alone, Taako ran to the Director’s office and fumbled with his keys before finding the right one. He unlocked the door quickly and closed himself inside, taking a deep breath and waiting to make sure no one followed him in. After a minute of silence, Taako ran to the filing cabinet across the room, finding the right file inside.

Scanning across the information on the front page, Taako saw something that caused his chest to tighten and his breath to get caught in his throat. “Lup Taaco. Status: Currently Employed,” was written in large font across the top of the page. She wasn’t lost. They were just hiding her from him in plain sight. Taako flipped through the file, suddenly freezing at what he’d read. Not only was she alive and currently working for the Bureau, they had her out on a mission so he couldn’t even see her.

The sound of footsteps came towards the office, but Taako was too far gone to care about getting caught.

“Tay, you’re not supposed to be in here, this is Lucretia’s office!” Magnus whisper-yelled as he cautiously opened the door. He looked around, trying not to get caught. “We can’t be here, the stuff in the files is private information.” He tugged on Taako’s sleeve, then realized he wasn’t budging. Taako started subtly shaking, rage building up inside him.

“She’s been here this whole  _ fucking  _ time…” Taako said softly. He clenched his jaw as he burst, throwing Lup’s file to the ground, the pages scattering everywhere as his hands shook violently and he turned to Magnus, his eyes lit up with a proverbial fire. “Lup, the entire reason I’m here in the first place, has been in this facility this whole time and you  _ never told me?!”  _ He couldn’t tell if he was going to scream or break down into sobs, but something powerful was coming.

“I wanted to tell you but Lucretia—“ He stopped, seeing how upset Taako was.

“Where. Is. She?” Taako demanded, his voice quiet but full of emotion. “And don’t fucking lie to me, Magnus. I’m  _ so _ fucking done with being lied to about Lup, I need the truth. Now.”

“She’s on a mission. Should be back tomorrow morning.” Magnus rubbed his neck. “I’m sorry, Tay, it wasn’t--”

“Sorry’s not going to bring back the five  _ goddamn _ years with her that I lost!” He interrupted as he shoved his way past Magnus, trying to conceal the tears streaming down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe how naive he’d been. Magnus was just covering up the fact that Lup was there the whole time. He felt stupid for even considering Magnus a friend for a split second; a friend wouldn’t lie about this.

The next few hours, Taako sat in the lobby by the front doors, trying to stop himself from bursting into tears. He had to be the first one to see her after all those years. He started feeling the dam break and put his head in his hands as he let it all out. The couch dipped beside him and he snapped his head back up, wiping the tears away as Magnus held out a mug of coffee. He cautiously took it, sipping it to make sure it didn’t spill in his trembling grasp.

“I really wanted to tell you that Lup was here, Taako.” Magnus murmured, looking him over. Taako was slightly taken aback at Magnus addressing him without the nickname but he remained silent, keeping his gaze down at the mug in his hands. “You don’t know how much I wanted to promise you she was okay, that she misses you more than anything in this world. Every single day, I’d ask Lucretia if I could just let you know Lup was alright, but she always said no. I-I don’t even know why she wants to keep it from you, but I’m so sorry that I couldn’t do anything about it.” Moments passed and Taako kept quiet. Magnus sighed, pushing himself up off the small couch. “I’ll come back to get you more coffee, okay? I assume you’re going to stay up to meet Lup at the door.”

“Thanks, Magnus.” Taako mumbled, trying to muster up a smile in his direction. Magnus grinned, patting him on the back.

“It’s the least I could do, Tay.” He left the room, leaving Taako alone once more to wait until morning.

For hours, Taako paced in the lobby despite himself, waiting to see the familiar face he knew like the back of his hand. Magnus kept his promise and brought him coffee every so often throughout the night, knowing there wasn’t a chance he would go to bed without seeing Lup first. He wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from seeing his sister. Taako was jolted awake as he heard the front doors open in the morning and his ears perked up as he heard the oh-so-familiar voice of his twin sister.

“No, I… I didn’t find him this time, but I’m not giving up.” Lup gave a sad smile as she squeezed Lucretia’s hand. “It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than messing with my ability to make… Me…” She trailed off, finally noticing Taako. He swallowed hard, just staring as he finally saw his twin sister in front of him. She was alive and, aside from a haircut and several bruises and scars, she was exactly how he remembered. Lup shook her head, looking him up and down. “Taako? H-how did you—“ She was interrupted by him tackling her into a big hug, holding onto her for dear life. She wrapped her arms around him as he collapsed against her, burying her face in his shoulder. “Koko, I can’t believe you’re here… I-I wanted to come see you so badly, I just…” She took a trembling breath.

“I can’t believe you’re alive,” he managed to choke out, trying to hold back the sobs. “You texted that you’d be back soon a-and then you weren’t and nobody would tell me where you were…” He trailed off, unable to get anything else out without crying. Lup gently kissed his head, looking him up and down.

“Wanna go talk somewhere, Koko?” She noticed how exhausted he looked as his eyes welled up with tears. He just nodded silently and gripped her hand tightly. Lup gave him a gentle smile and took him to a dorm that he could only assume was her own. She slumped down onto the bed, patting the space beside her. Taako nearly collapsed, curling up against the wall as he looked her over, not wanting to miss any detail in case she disappeared again. He didn’t even know where to begin with her. There were so many things he’d missed out on; five years was a hell of a lot of time to catch up on.

“I did mean it, you know.” Lup spoke up eventually, looking him in the eye. “I had every intention of being back soon.” Not seeing his expression change, she continued. “The Bureau had been contacting me for a while, asking me to join them. Just me,” Lup toyed with her hands. “Obviously I repeatedly said no, since we’re a package deal. I wasn’t going to leave you. They’d made one final request and I gave in: a simple mission that would take a week tops. You can probably assume it didn’t go as planned.”

“The Bureau’s been working to take down the most notorious villain of all, the Hunger, and has been sending scouts out to figure out what he’s doing. Me and another hero, the Reaper, have been the Bureau’s biggest assets in tracking him down. I was supposed to only go on the one mission, but there were… Complications.” Lup fidgeted with the bracer around her wrist. “Something you should know is that the Hunger isn’t like any other villain terrorizing the city. He takes things from heroes and others with powers to try and force us into his way of thinking; Magnus lost his wife to the Hunger’s powers, and he took all control of my abilities, essentially turning me into a bomb who could hurt anyone at any moment.” She looked to Taako, tapping her bracer. “This is why I never came back. I couldn’t control my fire and I knew it would only be a matter of time until I hurt you. I’m so goddamn sorry I left you, Taako,” Lup reached for his hand, biting down on her lip. “I was scared the Hunger would take you and use me to do so.”

“I’m sorry I worked against the Bureau for five fuckin’ years,” Taako muttered. “If I somehow became a hero here sooner, I might not have lost you for so long.” He scooted closer to her on the bed, hugging her tightly. “I missed you a lot, Lulu…”

“Missed you too, Koko,” Lup held her brother close, sighing deeply. “I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you.”

“You fuckin’ better.” Taako snorted as he lay his head on her shoulder. After thinking for a moment, he seemed to perk up. “Wait, you’ve been working with the Reaper?”

“I know what you want to ask and I’ll let you know: we both wear masks when we’re out, so no, I can’t tell you his secret identity.” Lup laughed quietly, shifting to braid her brother’s hair. Taako decided he wouldn’t admit that he already knew the Reaper’s identity all too well. Maybe if he strung them both along, it’d turn into a fun game to bug both of his favorite people.

“... Do you have a fun superhero name too?” Taako tried, and failed, to conceal an impish grin. Lup stopped braiding for a moment just to duck her head down in embarrassment as she continued with his hair.

“It’s… Flame-Bright…” Lup muttered sheepishly. Taako was silent for a second, then he burst out into laughter, cackling while tears flowed down his cheeks. “In my defense, I thought it had to be based on our powers and I was put under pressure!” He continued laughing despite Lup’s whines of protest, trying and failing to wipe the tears from his eyes. It wasn’t as funny as he was making it out to be, but it just felt like such a relief to laugh with his sister again. He desperately needed this kind of time with her to feel normal, to believe that he wasn’t just imagining she was there with him. He felt the familiar sensation of Lup tying off the braid and shifted, sitting against the wall and resting his head against her shoulder. 

“Where have you been since I’ve gotten here? Magnus said you were out on a mission for a long time.” Lup seemed to stiffen and she fidgeted with her hands nervously. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I was just curious as to where you went,” Taako took one of her hands carefully, noticing burns and scars covering the surface of her palms and fingertips.

“I was infiltrating the Hunger’s hideout,” Lup spoke up, though her voice was no more than a murmur. “Our head researcher and scientist was taken by him… Something else I’ve lost.” Lup was barely audible at the end, her lip quivering and her jaw setting. “I just wanted to find Barry and bring him home, but I didn’t make it to that point.” She wiped a tear away, wrapping her arms around her knees. Taako sat up, turning to face Lup.

“Is Barry your…?” He trailed off, the expression on Lup’s face telling him everything he needed to know.

“The night before he disappeared, he asked me to marry him,” Lup tried smiling at the memory through her tears. Pulling a chain out from where it had fallen down her shirt, Lup showed him a silver ring with a small blue stone embedded in it. “If he hadn’t gone to do some recon, he wouldn’t have--” her voice trembled and she bit down on her lip, holding the ring closer to her chest. “I fucking miss him, Taako. H-he was here for me when I was missing you or when I was terrified of my own broken powers.” Lup’s chest heaved and she broke down, sobbing into her hands. Taako immediately scooped his sister up into a hug, holding her as she cried. 

In that instant, he knew exactly what he needed to do. “Lulu,” he began in a quiet voice. “I’ll find him. I’ll bring Barry back to you.”  _ Or die trying _ , he finished in his own mind. 

“I’m not going to let you-” Lup was cut off by Taako holding his finger against her lips. 

“I’ve already made up my mind, Lup.” Taako shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. “I’m going to ask Lucretia in the morning if I can go off on this mission.” Lup seemed like she wanted to protest further but resigned, knowing how stubborn her brother was when he made up his mind. 

“Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you too. Especially since I just got you back,” she held onto his hand tightly. 

“Of course, Lu.” Taako hugged her once more. Maybe, he reasoned, maybe if he brought Barry back to the Bureau, the Director might let him go and he wouldn’t have to continue being held hostage by their organization. But even if she didn’t, Lup would be happy. And that’s all he needed for motivation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Soooooo, Lup's back! Well, technically, Lup's been there the whole time. B U T we have a new conflict! Please tell me what you think, your #thots on where this is going, or just talk abt the chapter! Thank you so so much for reading, y'all don't know how much this means to me!
> 
> xx Matt


	5. Chapter Four- A New Member

“Sorry I broke into your office and messed up your shit,” Taako muttered, crossing his arms. Lucretia had called him in there to discuss what had happened the night before and he couldn’t have been less interested. “I’m  _ not _ sorry that it happened, though. You should’ve seen it coming, honestly. Having Lup literally working in the same place you forced me to stay in was a pretty bad idea, just fyi.” Lucretia sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Duly noted,” she shifted in her seat, grabbing two files off of a shelf. “I wanted to apologize for keeping Lup from you. When the Hunger took her control over her power, she asked for you to never find out that she was here,” Lucretia noticed his confused expression. “Her biggest concern was keeping you safe, I assume she meant from herself. So, I kept my promise, as well as keeping up the silence. And when you joined, albeit not of your own volition, you said to not talk about your sister, so I decided she could reveal herself to you when she returned from her mission. If you’d waited, oh, twelve more hours, you wouldn’t have had to break into my office in order to know the truth about Lup.” Lucretia marked something off in one of the files, then closed it. “So, I’m sorry. You have every right to be upset with me, but I was just doing what Lup wanted.” She gave him a small, apologetic smile. Taako sat down at the chair in front of her desk, taking a deep breath.

“Well, I’m sorry I was a dick,” he thought for a second, remembering his promise to Lup. “I have… A proposition. Sort of a way I can earn your trust, maybe convince you to get this fuckin’ thing off of my wrist.” He held up his arm, tapping the bracer.

“And what might that be?” She raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Lup told me about Barry. And showed me how upset she is that he’s been taken.” He leaned forward, looking Lucretia in the eye. “I want to be the one to bring him back, whatever it takes.”

“That’s a suicide mission, Lup barely made it out alive and the Reaper has had multiple run ins with the Hunger that he’s barely survived.” Taako stiffened at the mention of Kravitz. He swallowed hard, nodding to himself.

“It doesn’t matter what they’ve done. I need to go save Barry and bring him back. You’ll grant me that, won’t you?” Taako shook his head. “Just let me do this for Lup. I don’t even care about getting my bracer off or not being able to leave this place, I just want to bring him back for Lup.”

“Fine, but you’re going to do a  _ hell  _ of a lot of prep work. I’m talking interviewing all of the employees and people here who have had run ins with the Hunger, going over the layout of his facility where Barry’s being kept, and training hard with Magnus and Merle to make sure you’re ready.” Lucretia wrote down a few things on a sticky note on her desk, then placed it on the edge of her computer monitor. “Go talk to Magnus and Merle about what they’re doing tonight. I should have enough info for you to get started tomorrow,” she gave him a small smile. “And by the way… I know that you know the Reaper. Or, you’d probably call him by his name, Kravitz, since you’re his boyfriend. I’d recommend telling him you’re doing this before going out to do it.” Lucretia turned to her computer.

“Thanks, Madam Director.” Taako nodded, standing up while wringing his hands together. Turning on his heel, he left the room, seeing Lup standing outside the door. “Hey, Lulu. You okay?” he noticed her concerned expression.

“Yeah, fine,” she sighed. “I’m just still worried about you going out to do that. I don’t want you to get taken by the Hunger too.” 

“Lucretia said I have to do a shit ton of work before I can actually go out on the mission. By the time I make it there, I’m going to be an expert on the Hunger.” He squeezed her hand comfortingly. “But we don’t have to think about that today. Lucretia won’t have anything for me until tomorrow. Let’s go see if Merle and Magnus have any leads and if not, let’s have a few drinks tonight.” The two of them walked out to the cafeteria, seeing a few scattered Bureau members having lunch. Taako sat down, pushing himself between Merle and Magnus while grinning.

“I’m sure you remember my sister, Lup,” he nudged them playfully. “Since you both knew she was here and never told me.” They both shifted slightly uncomfortably and Taako snorted. “I’m not actually upset, you can chill.” He looked up to say something to Lup, then realized she was gone. Furrowing his brows, he stood and noticed her at the edge of the cafeteria, walking away. Taako let out a deep sigh and flopped back into his seat. “I know Lucretia told you two to keep it a secret and that Lup was the one who didn’t want me to know she was here.” He felt Merle put an arm around him comfortingly and he cracked a small smile. “Sorry I’ve been an asshole.”

“It’s all good, Tay,” Magnus nudged him playfully. “You can just make up for it tonight when we head out on a mission.” 

“What are we doing tonight? Going to fight some big bad villain? Where I’ll sacrifice myself for the greater good and we’ll all learn the value of friendship?” Taako made dramatic arm gestures to prove his point.

“Actually, we’re meeting up with your boyfriend because he’s found a lead on someone antagonizing a few neighborhoods.” Merle pushed his glasses up his nose. “Apparently there’s been reports of some villain using their abilities to throw people around or push them back when they get near. Some kinda telekinesis.”

“Sounds straightforward!” Taako shrugged, pushing himself up. Merle and Magnus both stared and Taako snorted in response. “I’m not going there now, I just haven’t slept yet. Y’know, the whole missing sister coming back thing kinda took priority.” He ran his fingers through his tangled mess of hair. “Besides, I need a nap so I don’t look busted when I see my boyfriend.”

“You should hear him when you’re not around. I don’t think looking a little worn out is going to deter that man from you,” Merle laughed. “He’s got it bad for you.” He pointed out, causing Taako to grin.

“God dammit Merle, how is it so easy for you to make me smile when I’ve had such a long day? Fucking hate you and your stupidly big heart. You too, Mags.” Taako punched both of their arms softly. “I gotta get a nap in before I say more sappy shit and admit that I actually like you two.”

“Get some sleep, Taako. We should be leaving about 6, or that’s at least what Kravitz told us,” Magnus recalled, nodding to himself. “I’ll wake you up a little before then, mmkay?”

“Sounds good, Mags!” Taako gave a little wave with his index and middle finger as he walked away towards his room.

\---

“Hey, babe!” Taako called out a little too loudly, throwing himself into Kravitz’ embrace, who just chuckled and planted a kiss to the top of his head. “I haven’t seen you in a few days, I missed youuuuu!” he said in a singsong voice, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek.

“Missed you too, ‘Ko.” Kravitz beamed down at him.

“We missed you too but we’re not gonna tackle and kiss you on the cheek,” Merle snorted, leaning up against the wall of the building they stood beside.

“Speak for yourself, Merle,” Magnus teased. “He’s a handsome dude, I’d give him a little kiss.” Kravitz laughed more, wrapping an arm around Taako’s waist. “So, any more details for us?”

“Well, the villain should be super close, this is the neighborhood where everything’s been happening,” Kravitz looked around. “C’mon, let’s split up and look around,” he started to walk away, then stopped as the three boys still followed.

“You can’t split the party, that’s questing 101, Kravitz.” Magnus pointed out.

“We’re not playing goddamn Dungeons and Dragons,” Kravitz laughed. “I think we’ll be fine if we--” Suddenly, a car parked on the side of the road flew in their direction. Magnus rushed forward, stopping it before it hit the others. Taako looked down the street, cocking his head at the sight in front of them. A small boy sitting a few feet away on the curb hugged his knees close to his chest, looking over at them with fear in his eyes.

“Hey, are you doing alright little dude?” Taako took a step forward, causing the boy to jump up and back away, looking absolutely terrified. “Whoa, you can relax. We’re not going to hurt you…” He sighed, taking another step towards him. The boy kept trying to get away, accidentally backing himself into a wall.

“P-please don’t come any closer, sir! I don’t want to hurt you!” He wrung his hands together nervously, looking around at the people surrounding him.

“Hurt us? What do you mean?” Magnus knelt down so he wasn’t towering over him. The boy shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“It’s not my fault, sometimes I just get really scared o-or I don’t know how to get out of a situation and people just suddenly go flying back.” He bit his lip and pushed his cracked glasses up his nose as Taako nodded, piecing things together in his mind. There was no villain, there was just a scared kid who didn’t know how to control his powers. Kravitz’ brows were furrowed and he kneeled in front of the kid, his voice more soft and gentle than Taako had ever heard from him.

“It’s going to be okay, you don’t have to be scared,” he shifted so he was sitting against the wall beside him, giving him a gentle smile. “We’re like you. My boyfriend Taako can shapeshift, Magnus is super strong, and Merle can manipulate plants,” Kravitz pointed to each of them, trying to gain the boy’s trust.

“Those aren’t scary like mine,” he sniffled, looking Kravitz over. “They don’t hurt people.” Kravitz nodded in response before holding out one of his gloved hands.

“But I have,” he murmured softly. “I have to wear gloves all the time because if my hands touch someone, they die. I don’t want to hurt anyone, so I’ve found ways to control it.” Kravitz gave him a small, supportive smile. “We can help you find something that will give you better control.”

“You mean it?” He sat up straighter.

“Of course! We can help you every step of the way,” Kravitz rose, holding his hand out to help him up. The boy looked at his hand nervously, causing Kravitz to chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’ve got my gloves on, I won’t hurt you.” He took Kravitz’ hand and stood up, still looking nervous. “My name is Kravitz. What’s yours?”

“Angus McDonald,” he tried to put on a brave face but grimaced instead. Kravitz squeezed his hand gently.

“Nice to meet you, Angus.” He looked around. “Do you have family we need to talk to?” Angus shook his head.

“N-no… The Hunger came by a-and tried to get me to join, telling me all these things I should be dissatisfied with or angry about that I could fix by saying yes, but I didn’t want to join him. The next day, I woke up and my family was…” He shook his head, trying not to cry again but failing. Kravitz kneeled down once more, hugging him gently as he cried. Angus buried his face in Kravitz’ shoulder, holding onto him tightly. After a moment, Angus pulled away, looking sheepish as he wiped away the last of the tears.

“Do you want to ride on my shoulders, Angus?” Magnus asked, trying to cheer him up. “I’m really strong and pretty tall.” He gave a cheesy grin, causing Angus to laugh a little and nod. Magnus lifted him onto his shoulders and the five of them ventured back towards the Bureau.

Somewhere nearby, a shadow watched them curiously, the swirling colors throughout the shadowy form glimmering a little brighter when his gaze settled on Taako. He knew immediately that Taako was the one he’d been looking for, the villain-turned-hero who would be easy to manipulate into thinking his way. 

Sure, he could have gotten Taako’s attention when he first went rogue, but where would the fun in that be? Now, when he had much more to lose… Like friends he cares about and the family he just regained? He could use that to get the elf’s attention. A smile crossed the Hunger’s shadowy face as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. He’d get Taako to join him one way or another: with or without bloodshed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who am I if I don't add Angus into a fic? He's the best boy! We're about halfway through this fic now! I just wanted to thank you SO much for reading this, it means a lot to me! Go ahead and leave a comment below, give it a little kudos, I'd love to hear what you think so far!
> 
> XX Matt


	6. Chapter Five- Rescue Mission

Taako adjusted the mask over his face, making sure it was tightened correctly. It felt like the first time he put on the costume, but now he had his sister back; something tangible to fight for. The various shades of purple covered his body, a few cutouts in his shoulders and chest giving the outfit more depth than just a spandex suit. He looked dramatic and ridiculous, and that suited him completely. The floorboards behind him creaked and he looked in the mirror to see who was behind him and grinned, jokingly covering his face.

“Don’t laugh, Lulu… I swear I didn’t make my costume myself,” he turned, then noticed the perplexed expression on Lup’s face. “Hey, you okay?” She met his gaze and his question was immediately answered. Taako pulled her close, wrapping her up into a hug. “I’ll be fine. I haven’t been researching the Hunger for weeks just to go in and fuck it up.”

Lup sat there contemplatively for a moment before a small smile crossed her face. “What’s your superhero name?” She asked in a quiet, yet teasing voice. Taako rolled his eyes, pushing her away as she giggled to herself.

“I don’t have one because I’m not a dork like you,” he poked her nose. “Besides, there’s nothing that stands out about me like you. You’ve got the whole fire aesthetic that sets you up for a name, I’m just “Cha Boy Who Can Shapeshift,” which doesn’t really roll off the tongue well.”

“Yeah, you’re not The Reaper, you don’t get to have a cool and catchy name.” Lup snorted in response.

“God,  _ yeah _ !” Taako fake swooned. “I hate that asshole, he’s always too perfect. “Look at me, I’m Mr. Perfect with my beautiful hair and killer smile!” Like, we  _ get  _ it, you’re amazing and everyone loves you!” He snickered, then realized Lup didn’t get what he was saying.

“Do you genuinely hate him for being a good hero, Taako?” She raised an eyebrow in confusion. Taako just stared at her for a moment, then burst out into laughter, doubling over as he gripped his sides. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he cackled, leaving his sister standing there with absolutely no clue what her brother was losing it over. Lup just shook her head, preparing to lecture him about being jealous of others. “Koko, I know you’re fairly new to the whole thing, but we’re just trying to--”

“No, Lulu, you don’t get it!” He managed to get out between his wheezing. “The Reaper’s just a dumbass barista during the day who gets nervous and apologizes too much when he gets someone’s name wrong on their coffee order!”

“Wait, how do you know who he is…?” Lup’s brows furrowed as she tried to connect the dots. It suddenly clicked in her mind and she smacked him, a small laugh escaping her lips. “Your stupid boyfriend who’s been hanging out around the Bureau is actually The Reaper?!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Kravitz, the big ol’ softie who basically adopted little Angus out of nowhere, is the badass hero who single-handedly took down half of the villains in this city?!”

“Of course he is! Are you saying the mask  _ really _ caught you off guard and completely concealed who he was?” Taako wiped away the tears, staring at her in disbelief.

“... Maybe,” Lup crossed her arms, ducking her head down in embarrassment. Taako gave her a smug grin, which caused her to shove him away. “Just go save my fiance, okay?”

“Oh, any other requests? Need me to pick up more milk while I’m out?” Taako teased. Lup rolled her eyes and Taako pulled her close for a hug, sighing deeply. “I’ll bring him back, Lulu. And we’ll both come home safe.”

“You fuckin’ better. None of the “back soon” bullshit that I pulled.” Lup hugged him, trying to keep a straight face to not make him worry. Taako gave her one last smile before he ran out of the room, heading to debrief with Lucretia.

\----

“Alright, we have a location that Lup confirmed was the Hunger’s makeshift hideout, where we know he’s keeping Barry,” Lucretia flipped through her notes before sliding a map over in Taako’s direction. “You ready for this? I know you’ve been working for a while, but it’s not going to be an easy mission.”

“I’m ready. I have to do this for Lup,” Taako nodded to himself. 

“Well, in case something happens and you need a quick getaway, make sure you have this on hand,” Lucretia reached into her desk for a small pendant with a small circular object on it, not unlike a button. “If you press this, someone from the Bureau will come for immediate help or, god forbid, backup if shit’s gone south. Just hold the button and one of us will answer.”

“So, it’s just a stupid Life Alert button but for superheroes?” Taako laughed, draping it around his neck.

“I guess you could say that,” she laughed and opened her desk drawer once more, retrieving a magnet with the same symbol from his bracer. She held out her hand and he complied, holding his wrist out as she unlocked it. His bracer fell into her outstretched hand.

“When you come back, I think you’ll have earned the right to keep it off for good,” Lucretia grinned, tucking his bracer away into a drawer in her desk. Taako started to walk out of the room, then stopped when she called out to him once more. “Fuck him up, Taako.”

“Will do, Madam Director.” Taako beamed, leaving her office. Before he could step out of the building, a booming voice called out after him.

“Tay! Did you really think you could sneak out without us noticing?” Magnus jogged up to him, Merle close behind.

“Yeah, kiddo, you’re not gettin’ away that easily.” Merle grinned, pushing his glasses up his nose. He pulled Taako in for a hug and nudged him gently. “Don’t beef it, Taako. Or we’ll have to come save your ass whether or not the Director is okay with it.”

“Also, take this.” Magnus handed him a small pocket knife. “It was my grandfathers’ knife, but then I gave it to Julia. And now, I think you’ll need it. More than anything, it’s just a luck thing and kind of like… A symbol of friendship.” He grinned at Taako, who was hiding his teary eyes behind his mask.

“Fuck you guys, now I’m gonna be crying,” Taako muttered quietly. “Okay, uh, I don’t wanna be too much of a sap here, but… I love you guys and you’re my friends as much as I want to act like you piss me off,” he took a deep breath. “I was an asshole before, and I’m sorry. Thanks for kidnapping me.” He laughed through the tears, holding onto his friends. “I’m gonna go before I say too much more, but just know you mean a lot to me and, um… Make sure you keep an eye on Angus because he’s gotten more comfortable around here and he’s decided he likes to play pranks with his powers.”

“Will do, Taako.” Magnus chuckled, giving him one more tight squeeze. Taako looked at them for the final time and grinned before running out of the Bureau of Balance headquarters. The map that Lucretia gave him was fairly straightforward and he looked around for a moment before taking off and shifting into a small bird to cover more ground and to make it to the other side of the city in no time. The cover of night helped immensely, no one noticing the bright purple hue of the bird that definitely wasn’t natural.

Once he found the abandoned skyscraper that supposedly housed the Hunger’s hideout, he dropped to the ground and transformed back to himself. Furrowing his brows, Taako tried to find an inconspicuous entrance. As he ducked around the back of the building, he decided climbing through a window would be the quickest and quietest way in. The interior of the building was nothing like the grungy, unkempt outside led him to believe. It looked… Shockingly close to the Bureau’s headquarters. An all white, meticulous office setup sat in front of him, though the lights were off and the halls were empty. Taako tentatively took a step forward, not noticing the shadow materializing behind him.

“I was wondering when we’d finally meet,” a calm, cool man’s voice came from over his shoulder. Taako whipped around, going into full combat mode. The man chuckled, undisturbed by Taako’s defensive stance. “I just want to talk. I have a proposition for you.” Taako’s eyes struggled to focus on his form, the shadows ebbing and flowing like waves on the sand. His form was vaguely human-shaped, though the details on him were hard to make out. Aside from the faint outline of a face, the only thing he could make out were streaks of bright crimson, green, blue, and yellow constantly swirling around in the darkness. Occasionally, a white eye would open, then close and reappear elsewhere on the dark form. It was unsettling, to say the least.

“You’re him,” Taako started, not wanting to let on how terrified he was. “The Hunger.”

“Oh please, call me John,” he flashed a smile that sent a chill down Taako’s spine. “The Hunger is much too menacing and formal, don’t you think?” After receiving no answer, he began to circle Taako, not making any moves towards him but being subtly intimidating. “I know why you’re here, and I can let Barry go unharmed. There’s just one thing I need from you first.”

“I’m not joining you,” Taako spoke up, his jaw set. “I know you’ve tried to lure everyone else in, but I’m not going to. No matter what you think you can offer me.”

“I only want you to hear me out. You can do that for me, can’t you Taako?” Taako suddenly felt paralyzed and just stood still as John stopped in front of him. “You’ve been given the short end of the stick for a long time. Lup left you and couldn’t even call and tell you that she was okay. For the longest time, Kravitz hunted you down and didn’t even recognize his own boyfriend behind the mask. And to top it all off, everyone at that Bureau of Balance just views you as an asset; a means to an end.” Taako noticed a dark pool of fog coming from John that wrapped around his ankles and rose up around his whole body, causing his mind to become foggy. John’s words echoed in his mind and he started to feel angry, thinking he might be right.

“I…” Taako muttered, shaking his head. “No, you’re wrong!” John took another step toward him, his eyes glimmering with malice.

“You know what? Fine. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I’ll get you on my side one way or another.” He sighed in frustration. “You haven’t lost enough yet, I understand. I guess I’ll have to take the one thing you can depend on.” The cloud of shadows making up his form dissipated, filling the room with a black fog before fading as if nothing happened. The clean facade of the office building faded away and all that was left was an empty, run down lobby. Taako felt a sharp pain in his hand and looked down to see a gash, but it wasn’t bleeding like it should have been. Inside, he saw the dark shadows and swirling colors of the Hunger and held his hand close to his chest. It felt like the confrontation was over too soon, but he couldn’t dwell on it too long.

Whatever just happened could wait. What Taako needed now was to find Barry, if he was even in this building. Taako ran for the stairs, running up to the next level. He searched for what seemed like hours and ended up leaning against the railing of the stairwell, catching his breath. He’d searched every inch of this building, but came up empty. Every discarded cubicle, every upended conference room table was searched, and he found nothing. Taako heard a ragged cough from somewhere nearby and realized something as he spun around. The elevator. Transforming to give himself stronger arms, he pried the doors open and gaped at the collapsed form in front of him. It was, without any question, Barry. A cracked pair of glasses sat by his side and his chest heaved from his labored breathing. His disheveled salt and pepper hair was caked with blood and he had a nasty cut above his brow. 

“Barry? Is that you?” Taako knelt down beside him. He furrowed his brows, barely able to lift his head up as he struggled to free his bound hands. Taako pulled out the knife Magnus had given him and cut the bindings.

“Who are you?” He coughed, letting out a shaky breath. Taako let down his disguise and took off his mask, examining Barry’s wounds. A shocked expression crossed Barry’s face as he recognized Taako, shaking his head. “Taako? Lup’s twin brother?” He asked softly.

“That’s me. I’m here to bring you back,” he picked up Barry’s broken glasses, helping him to his feet. Barry couldn’t stand up straight, leaning most of his weight onto Taako. “Just stay with me, okay Barry?” Taako adjusted his grip, helping him stay up. Barry nodded, struggling to stay awake. Taako wasn’t worried about the Hunger coming back, he was just scared that Barry wasn’t going to make it out of the building. Taako hoped and prayed that the elevator still worked as he pressed a few buttons on the console. A weak, glitched out sound rang out, much like a bell were possessed by a demon, and the doors that were pried open slowly closed as the elevator descended. Taako let out a sigh of relief and tightened his grip on Barry, who looked like he had one foot in the grave. The elevator shakily made its way down to the lobby and Taako remembered the pendant Lucretia had given him, pressing the button before prying open the front doors while trying to keep Barry awake.

“Taako? Is that you?” Lucretia’s voice came through the pendant.

“I’ve got him, but he’s… He’s real fucking bad, we need anyone to get here soon or I don’t think he’ll make it,” Taako gently helped Barry sit against the building, checking over him for any more open wounds.

“We’ll be there in less than five minutes, hang on.” The other line crackled and fell silent. Taako bit down on his lip as he continued to examine Barry.

“Is Lup… O-okay?” Barry managed to get out, his voice sounding like it would give out at any moment. Taako nodded, smiling at him.

“Yeah, Barry, she’s doing great. She’s why I came to get you.” Taako noticed Barry squinting at him and nudged him gently. “Penny for your half-dead thoughts?”

“... Your sister is a lot prettier than you,” Barry muttered. Taako stared at him for a minute, then started cackling.

“Good thing you’re gonna marry her and not me, huh bud?” he knelt down beside him, looking over the cut on Barry’s head. “Hachi machi, they better fuckin’ get here soon, this looks bad.” He noticed a car screeching down the road and laughed a little. “Son of a bitch. Speak of the devil, they’re already here.” He helped Barry to his feet, who suddenly lost consciousness. Taako’s eyes widened and he helped him into the car, biting his lip and shifting his gaze back and forth between the road and Barry. He’d gotten Barry back in one piece, but he was just worried that one piece wouldn’t make it to the Bureau’s med bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barry's safe and sound! But Taako's journey isn't over yet! The Hunger's left his mark and Taako's gonna have to figure out how to take him on. Lemme know what you thought, maybe what you're hoping will happen, etc! And thank god Sunday's my update day bc I will be in a completely different state this time tomorrow! Have a good week, y'all!  
xx Matt


	7. Chapter Six- Rest and Relaxation

Barry woke up with a start, becoming more and more confused as he realized he was out of the small room he’d thought of as his prison for over a year. Memories of the night before came flooding back and his weakness hit him like a train as he lay back on the pillow behind him. At least he was safe. Lup’s brother had found him and he was finally back at the Bureau.

“Did you sleep okay? You should have, you slept for three days.” A familiar voice that sent his heart racing teased from the side of his bed and he turned to see Lup sitting in a chair next to the IV. Barry couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he tried to sit up.

“Lup… O-oh my god, I was so scared I’d never see you again.” He weakly reached towards her. Lup tackled him into the biggest hug, planting small kisses all over his face.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get you out of there, babe.” Lup murmured softly, stroking his cheek. “If I just tried a little harder o-or made a deal with the Hunger, I--”

“Darling, you did wonderfully.” Barry cut her off, giving her a gentle smile. “Everything worked out fine. Granted, I feel like I got hit by a bus, but it’s a tolerable pain now that I can see you.” He kissed her softly, pressing their foreheads together. Noticing the ring on a chain around her neck, he kissed her hands. “Still nervous about your fire melting the ring?”

“Guess you can still read minds,” Lup giggled, looking down at their hands. “Now that you’re back, I should get you a matching one. It’s not fair that I get an engagement ring and you don’t.” Barry noticed her perplexed expression and squeezed her hand gently.

“I promised I’d stay out of your mind, what’s bothering you?”

“I’m so happy you’re okay, I just…” Lup let out a deep sigh. “Taako hasn’t talked to me since you two got back and I’m worried something’s happened to him.”

“I’m sure if he’s worried about something, he’ll tell you.” Barry reassured her, planting a soft kiss to her knuckles. Lup nodded, but she was still worried about her brother.

Taako sat on one of the tables in the Bureau’s cafeteria, unwrapping the bandage he’d put on his hand to hide what happened. The gash was still there, the shadows and swirling colors still lying beneath. But, it had already grown to cover his entire hand, ribbons cutting across his skin in various shapes and sizes. Taako sighed, pulling a glove from his pocket and slipping it on. He didn’t know what had happened and he wasn’t going to let anyone get worried about him over a little cut.

Arms wrapping around Taako caught him off guard, but he leaned into the familiar grasp, a small smile spreading across his face. Kravitz gave him a gentle kiss to the top of his head and hugged his boyfriend tighter.

“Everything okay, hon? You’ve been a little out of it since you’ve gotten back,” he sat beside Taako, keeping an arm around his waist. “Did the Hunger find you at all?”

“No, it just took a lot out of me,” Taako lied. “I’m fine, Krav. No need to worry about me.” He noticed Kravitz didn’t seem convinced and sighed, knowing he could never lie to him. “C’mon, let’s go to my room and I can tell you what happened. I uh… I don’t want anyone else knowing.” Taako carefully took Kravitz’ hand and they walked back to his room in silence, a worried expression never leaving Kravitz’ face.

They settled down on Taako’s bed and he carefully removed his glove with trembling hands, not knowing why he was so nervous to tell Kravitz about it. The swirling colors still glowed in the darkness beneath and Kravitz’ eyes widened as he carefully took Taako’s hand in his own. He carefully and gently ran his index finger over Taako’s palm, taking care not to do any more damage, but only felt the smooth surface of his skin. It was like only the appearance had changed.

“What happened on the mission?” Kravitz murmured, looking at his boyfriend’s perplexed expression. Taako chewed on his lip for a moment, not sure what to say.

“The Hunger, um… He knew things about me, I-I don’t know how long he’s been following me. He tried to get in my head and fuck with my emotions, but I just kept fighting. And he just gave up. It was a little too quick and then suddenly I had  _ this _ on my hand.” Taako traced his finger over the shadows that wrapped around his hand like a ribbon. “It was smaller then, just like a little cut. I think…” he sighed, looking up at Kravitz with fear in his eyes. “I think he’s not done with me. This,” he gestured to his hand, “is spreading. I don’t know what’s going to happen if it consumes me, but I know it’s not going to end well.”

“We can help you, Taako. If the Hunger tries to come after you, you have all of us to help fight.” Kravitz reassured him, knowing Taako was more scared than he was letting on. Taako nodded silently, holding his hand close to his chest as he curled up into a ball. Kravitz planted a gentle kiss to his head and held his boyfriend, the two of them sitting in silence for a moment. They heard a gentle knock on the door and Angus peeked his head in, smiling shyly.

“Am I interrupting something?” He asked in a quiet voice. Taako shook his head, managing a smile in Angus’ direction.

“You’re totally fine, what’s up kiddo?” Taako sat up, looking at him curiously.

“I just wanted to tell you that your sister wants to formally introduce you to Barry. He’s up and moving now and they asked me to come get you.” Angus shot them a toothy grin. Kravitz chuckled, pushing himself up off the bed and gently pulling Taako up as well.

“We’ll be right there, Angus. Thanks for telling us.” Angus nodded and ran out of the room without a word. Kravitz handed Taako’s glove over, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Anything you need to do before meeting your sister’s fiancée for the first time outside of a life or death situation?”

“Nah, ‘cha boy is good to go,” Taako kissed Kravitz gently on the cheek after replacing the glove on his hand. “If anyone else asks about this glove, just say I’m specifically germaphobic on my right hand.”

“Sounds good, babe.” Kravitz laughed and the two of them left the room. With every step, Taako could feel himself getting more and more nervous. He didn’t have these kinds of nerves, but the idea of truly meeting his sister’s fiancée was terrifying. For their whole lives, Taako and Lup met people at the same time; meeting someone that Lup had known for years and was close with sounded nerve wracking. Not that he didn’t think Barry was a great guy, he sounded wonderful from all of Lup’s stories. Taako was just worried about not fitting in with them.

“Hey, Koko!” Lup’s voice called out, shaking Taako from his thoughts. She waved to him from where she and Barry were sitting at a table across the Bureau’s cafeteria, as if Taako and Kravitz wouldn’t have noticed the only other people in the room. Barry still looked a little rough around the edges, but he was infinitely better than when Taako had seen him before. He waved shyly, still feeling the nerves in his stomach. Kravitz gently squeezed Taako’s hand upon feeling his boyfriend tense up beside him.

“Hi, Lulu,” Taako managed a convincing grin, trying desperately to hide his gloved hand. “Glad to see that you’re alive, Barry. You looked pretty fucked up when I saw you last.” Barry just laughed, wrapping an arm around Lup’s waist.

“I’d definitely gone through hell,” he snorted. “And for the record, I’m still a little fucked up, it’s covered by bandages.” Lup shifted so she was standing and gripped Barry’s hand tightly.

“I know you’ve obviously already met, but I just… Really wanted you to meet Barry properly.” Lup smiled, looking as nervous as Taako felt. She took a tentative breath and squeezed Barry’s hand for support. “So, let me officially introduce you. Barry, this is my twin brother Taako. Taako, this is my fiancée Barry!”

“Great to  _ formally  _ meet you, Bar.” Taako smiled warmly. “Honestly, I feel like I already know a lot about you. The second I saw her again, Lup’s been going on and on about how great of a guy you are. She’s crazy about you.”

“Oh, really?” Barry smirked, planting a kiss to Lup’s head as she blushed deeply.

“I’m going to marry you, dumbass, of course I’m crazy about you!” She punched his arm playfully, then turned and kissed his cheek.

“It’s still nice to hear from someone else.” Barry snorted. Lup suddenly turned to Kravitz, clapping her hands together.

“You, mister… We need to fucking  _ talk  _ about how you’ve been my brother’s boyfriend the  _ whole  _ time we’ve been working together and never said anything!” She grabbed his arm, dragging him to another table. Barry sat down, rubbing the back of his head as Taako looked him over, making sure he was okay.

“You don’t have to look at me that way, I’m good to go. Just gotta rest more than normal.” Barry let out a chuckle. The two of them sat in a somewhat awkward silence until Barry spoke up once more. “She missed you so fuckin’ much, Taako. Every single day, she’d tell me a new story about you two and then say how much she wished she could tell you that she was alive and well.” Taako managed a small smile, toying with the glove on his hand. Barry noticed and subtly gestured to his hand, trying not to get Lup’s attention. “Souvenir from the Hunger?” he asked in a soft voice. Taako quickly hid his hand, nodding sheepishly.

“I don’t want Lup to see it. It’s not a big deal, it looks scarier than it is.” He made sure Lup wasn’t looking in their direction and removed his glove, turning his hand over to show Barry.

“God, it looks just like how he does…” Barry muttered, gently taking Taako’s hand in his own. “Let me know if anything changes with it, okay? I promise Lup won’t know about it,” he crossed his heart, giving a small lopsided grin to Taako, who just stared down at his own hand in his lap.

“It’s been growing, that’s the scary thing.” Taako mumbles after a moment. “It was just a tiny cut three days ago, now it’s this fucking thing growing to cover me. I-I’m…” he trailed off, not wanting to get emotional around Barry, who he barely knew. He couldn’t tell Barry that he was scared of losing himself to the Hunger; that would  _ definitely _ get passed on to Lup. The last thing he wanted was for anyone else to get hurt because of what was happening to him.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Taako.” Barry nodded, patting his knee. “I’ll do some research and make sure Lup doesn’t suspect a thing. It’ll stay lowkey.”

“No wonder my sister likes you so much, you’re a really great guy,” Taako laughed a little, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Lup adores her brother and, despite having barely met you, I do too.” Barry nudged him playfully. Lup rose, walking back to their table. Distracting her from seeing Taako’s hand, Barry swept her up into a big hug, planting little kisses all over her face. Lup let out a laugh, patting his chest.

“God, we were barely apart for five minutes, babe,” she kissed his cheek in return. “But I love you too.” Taako was lost in his thoughts as he made sure his glove was back on without drawing attention to it. If he was being taken by the Hunger, he couldn’t let anyone else get dragged into it. This was his battle to fight, and he wasn’t going to lie down and die. Besides, he owed the Bureau of Balance. If he rid everyone of the Hunger, it would undo the five years of opposition he gave to the Bureau. And it seemed like his only method of redemption at that point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late, I am so so sorry! Work's been hell and trying to keep up w updates while also juggling life is proving to be Very Rough. ANYWAYS, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know it's a little on the short side, but I hope you like it regardless! Leave me a little comment and let me know what you thought! :D I really appreciate every single one of you reading this!
> 
> xx Matt


	8. Chapter Seven- The Confrontation

Taako had been trying to keep it together for three weeks, but it was beginning to get harder and harder to hide the spread of the Hunger that was consuming his body. Even with his gloves, jeans, and turtleneck covering most of his body, it had started to climb up further, coming up past his jaw. He tried to hide it, but he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer without confronting the Hunger again. On multiple occasions, Taako had blacked out, only to find that he was looking for the Bureau of Balance’s secrets once he had come to. The first time it had happened, he woke up finding himself in the Bureau’s giant room of files with dozens scattered all around him. In a panic, he quickly cleaned up the mess he assumed came from himself, and hoped no one knew what had happened. Every time succeeding the first incident, he woke up in a similar place; in Lucretia’s office going through her computer, in the Bureau’s training room watching Magnus and Kravitz spar with each other, and in the security room while watching camera footage. It worried him, but he still didn’t want to drag someone else into the problem.

“Taako?” Angus knocked on the door to Taako’s room one night, looking slightly nervous. Taako set aside the book he was reading and sat up, looking at Angus.

“Everything okay, Angus?” Taako shifted to rest his head on his hand, trying to cover the marks that now covered the left side of his jaw. Angus sat beside him on his bed, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Are you… Doing alright?” He asked in a quiet voice, noticing Taako stiffen. “You don’t have to lie to me, I’ve seen the marks that keep covering more and more of you.” Taako dropped his hand, pulling his glove off to reveal the streaks of the shadows and colorful lights streaming through it. Angus scooted closer, looking it over curiously.

“It’s from the Hunger. When I got Barry back, he gave me this. It started a lot smaller, but now it’s just spreading,” Taako took off his other glove and rolled up his pant legs, revealing more of the same marks. “Not even Krav knows this, but… Something else keeps happening too.” He looked around to make sure the door to his room was closed. “Keep this between us, okay?”

“What else is happening?” Angus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Taako let out a deep sigh, knowing  _ someone  _ should at least know what happened if he disappeared because of it.

“I keep blacking out. I know it’s related to the marks and the Hunger, I-I only go to a few places and every single one seems to be invading the Bureau of Balance’s privacy, like he’s using me to get information.” He didn’t look at Angus, his eyes focused on his trembling hands in his lap.

“What do you think he wants from you?” Angus asked in a soft voice. Taako furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember anything from his confrontation with the Hunger. He suddenly froze, the realization hitting him like a freight train.  _ “I’ll take the one thing you can depend on.” _ John’s words rang through in Taako’s mind. The one thing he truly depended on all those years alone was himself; the Hunger wanted to completely take Taako over. He knew it was now or never: he needed to finally confront the Hunger and finish what had been started before he was completely consumed. That night, he’d sneak out and confront the Hunger alone. No one else needed to be hurt by what he was doing. After a moment, Taako shook his head, looking over at Angus.

“I’m sure it’ll be nothing,” he lied, trying to muster up a smile. “You should head off to bed, Angus. Don’t worry about me.” Angus knew he was lying, but could tell he was upset and didn’t want to talk more about it.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Angus nodded to him. “You can come to me if you need to, you know that, right?” Taako bit down on his lip, pulling Angus into a tight embrace.

“Thanks, kiddo.” He mumbled, knowing that might be the last chance he would get to hug Angus and have everything be okay. Angus waved a little, heading out the door right as Kravitz came in, beginning to unbutton his shirt.

“Hey, babe,” Kravitz planted a kiss to Taako’s cheek. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, totally fine! Getting a little annoying to cover up the marks, but everything’s chill. I think they’re just here to bug me.” Taako laughed a little, trying to convince Kravitz he was fine.

“We can ask Lucretia if she has any ideas tomorrow, since it’ll definitely be impossible to hide by then.” Kravitz pulled off his shirt, changing into pajama pants before laying down on their bed.

“Sounds like a plan, Krav.” Taako lay beside his boyfriend, embracing him for what he knew would be one of the last times. “I love you, hon…” He murmured, nuzzling his face in Kravitz’ shoulder. Kravitz chuckled and held his boyfriend closer as he started to doze off. Taako waited until he’d been asleep for a few hours and pushed himself out of bed, taking care to not wake Kravitz. He changed into his disguise and shot a small smile to Kravitz sleeping peacefully on the bed. This was going to be all for the family he’d made in the Bureau; no one was going to suffer anymore from the Hunger’s attacks. Taako knew he’d done irreversible damage from his half-decade of opposition against the Bureau and this was what he was going to do to redeem himself.

As he made his way through the lobby of the Bureau of Balance’s headquarters, Taako silently hoped nobody would get between him and the door. There was no way for him to explain himself; they’d all try and stop him anyways. But this was his mission to complete. If he succeeded, the Hunger would be gone and they would all be able to live the rest of their lives in peace without the risk of losing everything to the Hunger. He made sure he still had the pendant Lucretia had given him the first time he left to fight the Hunger and tucked it into his shirt. If all else failed, he could still try and make it out with their help.

Taako made it to the abandoned building he’d found Barry in, only to find it looking shiny and pristine. It was no longer boarded up with shattered windows and empty rooms, in fact the lobby was fully lit and the elevator doors opened as he walked into the building. Taako cautiously took a step into the elevator, only seeing one button illuminated. He took a deep breath, pressing the button and trying to keep his hands from shaking. The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected his appearance and he noticed the shadows actively moving to cover his entire face. Taako squeezed his eyes shut, only opening them when he heard a ringing as the elevator stopped moving and the doors opened once more.

“Glad you could join me, Taako,” John’s voice rang out through the room, sending chills up Taako’s spine. Taako took a tentative step out of the elevator, seeing a large conference room with John seated at one end of the table. “Take a seat, I want to have a little chat,” he gestured to the other end of the room as a chair materialized out of the shadows that made up the room. Taako swallowed hard, walking over to the table.

“I’ll stand, thanks.” He grit his teeth, trying to keep calm despite the fear he felt inside. He kept an eye on John as he rose, his eyes glowing from within the darkness that composed his ever-shifting form. “Why me? Why am I the one who you chose to be covered in this shit and do your stupid bidding?” Taako gestured to the marks that covered his body.

“I’ve had my eye on you for a while, Taako.” He walked around the table, making his way closer to where Taako stood. “Like I said last time we met, you’re… Different. You’ve been dealt a fairly shitty hand. Don’t you want to get what you deserve? The glory you’ve worked for?” John now stood a little too close and Taako could feel the shadows starting to consume him, fogging his mind. 

“Your sister ignored you and left you alone for five years while you assumed she was dead. Your precious boyfriend didn’t even recognize you in your villain form for years, despite the fact that you spent every day with him as his boyfriend and every night as the villain who tormented the organization he worked for. And the Bureau of Balance kidnapped you to force you to give in and pretend to be a silly little hero.” He traced the marks covering Taako’s cheek, his finger then dragging down as he lifted Taako’s chin to force him to look into his eyes, which still glowed with malice. “Aren’t you tired of pretending to be a hero? After all, when you chose your own fate, you chose the path of villainy. Everything else was chosen for you.” Taako could feel the manipulation sinking in and shook his head, breaking free and backing up.

“No, it wasn’t. I became a villain out of spite, out of rage.” He glared at John. “The time I was a villain was the darkest time of my life. Now, I’m finally happy.” Gaining confidence, he took a step forward, making John slink back. “Lup didn’t call because she was worried about hurting me. Kravitz was  _ hoping _ it wasn’t me, that he didn’t have to hurt the person he loved. And the Bureau? The Director believes in me, in the good that I can become. All of the members of the Bureau of Balance are my best fucking friends and I love all of them. You can’t fathom anyone loving somebody else, but they’re my  _ family _ and I care about them.” Taako felt the Hunger’s powers and hold on him weaken. “And if you brought me here to kill me, I don’t care. If they’re safe from you, it’s all I need.” John stumbled back as the shadows swirled around Taako, his hair flying up and the curtains on the windows blowing in the wind. 

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re going to do with me, but I know I’ll never stop fighting for them.” He started to feel dizzy as the shadows grew lighter. “I’m fuckin’ sorry for you, Johnny. Because nobody cares about you like I care about them. Maybe that’s why you’re so  _ bitter _ and nihilistic all the time.” John shook his head as the room became far too bright, Taako having taken the power from his shadows.

“Better to die as a villain than try and redeem yourself as a hero.” John raised his hand in Taako’s direction as the room became just a sea of infinite light. “Huh… I feel sad.” John cocked his head before his shadowy form imploded. Taako collapsed to the ground, the light and shadows around him suddenly bursting into ashes. The brightness disappeared instantly, as did the pristine conference room he once sat in. The shabby, derelict room was completely silent as Taako struggled to catch his breath after everything that happened.

It seemed like everything was over. Taako tried to push himself up and transform to make it out of the room, but felt completely powerless. He groaned, trying to lean against the wall before everything became dark, reminding him how late it was. He hoped desperately that he’d done it; that the Hunger was defeated before he lost consciousness. If it took a self sacrifice on his part, it was worth it for the safety of his family. The room around him spun violently as he struggled to hang onto consciousness. Taako pulled the pendant from around his neck, pressing the button on the pendant’s face with trembling hands.

“H-hey, if anyone’s there… I think I killed the Hunger.” Taako fought to keep his eyes open, his voice shaking violently as he spoke. “I-I, uh… I love you guys. Sorry I left without telling anyone,” he mumbled, his hand dropping to the ground as everything spun around him before he collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The DRAMA!!! We just have one chapter left, and then our story comes to an end! Until I write the prequel I've been planning, that is... >:3 Let me know what you thought of this fic! It's the first multi-chapter fic I've ever finished so I really appreciate y'all who have stuck through to the end! Thank you so so much for your support, it means the world to me that people are actually reading and enjoying the things I create :')
> 
> xx Matt


	9. Chapter Eight- What He Fought For

“Hey dingus, you better fucking wake up soon…” Taako heard Lup’s distant voice as he regained consciousness, feeling as if he had been run over by a bus. He didn’t know how long he’d been out, but he definitely wasn’t in that abandoned building anymore.

“Shhh, trying to sleep, Lulu,” he muttered, not even opening his eyes. It was silent for a moment, then he felt his sister tackle him into a hug.

“You’ve been in a goddamn coma for a month and you finally wake up to tell me to shut up?!” She yelled, though he knew she wasn’t really upset with him, just distressed. Taako’s eyes fluttered open and he shakily lifted his arms to hug her back. “Why did you go off on your own, Koko? We could have helped you defeat him,” she looked him over, making sure there were no more injuries on him.

“I didn’t wanna make anyone worry about me,” he spoke so softly he wasn’t sure she could even hear him. “I had these stupid marks all over from him and I knew you’d already worried so much about Barry a-and you didn’t need the extra stress from my own issue.”

“Dumbass, don’t fucking do anything like that again,” she stood up and Taako finally got a good look at his surroundings. He was in a small bed in a room that could only be in the Bureau’s med bay, various monitors and an IV connected to his hand. Kravitz was asleep in a chair across the room, looking like he hadn’t moved in days. Angus was sprawled across his lap, his arms draped over the side of the chair and dangling off the edge, nearly grazing the floor. Taako tried to sit up and sighed in frustration at his weakness. Lup noticed and handed him a small remote for the bed. Adjusting the bed so he could sit up, Taako ran his fingers through his hair, laughing a little when it got stuck in the tangled mess.

“Damn, I could really use a fuckin’ shower.” He awkwardly tried brushing his hair with his fingers, stopping once he realized the monitors and IV in his hand were tangling up in his hair. He heard rustling from Angus and Kravitz’ direction and grinned as he saw Angus rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he pushed himself up. “Have a good nap, Ango?” he called out softly. Angus immediately seemed to perk up and ran toward the bed, not hesitating to tackle Taako into a hug. Taako chuckled, hugging Angus as tightly as he could manage.

“W-we thought you weren’t gonna wake up!” He sniffled quietly. “I knew you were going to face the Hunger alone after I talked to you, but I had no idea it would be that dangerous.”

“I’m okay now, kiddo,” Taako tousled his hair gently. He heard a stirring across the room and looked over to see Kravitz stretching, obviously having been woken up from everyone else talking. Taako reached over in his direction, a sly smile crossing his face. “‘Bout time you woke up, honey. I was getting bored with just Lup and Angus here.” Kravitz opened his eyes wider and ran over, planting little kisses all over Taako’s face.

“God, I was so worried about you,” Kravitz pressed their foreheads together. “I love you so much, I’m so glad you made it out of that,” he murmured softly.

“It’s over, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” Taako gave him a small smile, squeezing his gloved hand comfortingly.

“Well, that’s not completely true,” they heard Lucretia speak up from the doorway. “I ran a few tests while you were out and there’s… A bit of a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Taako sat up, shifting slightly so he could see Lucretia better.

“It turns out that whatever happened with the Hunger drained your abilities. So, as of now, you’re just as normal as anyone else on the streets.” Taako stared for a moment, then started laughing. Of _ course _ that would happen to him now. He worked so hard to establish himself in the Bureau, to completely change himself to try and be a hero. But now he couldn’t be a hero, or even a villain. He was just a powerless nobody.

“So, I guess I should leave the Bureau, right?” He bit down on his lip, trying not to grimace. Lucretia laughed softly, walking over to the bed.

“We’re not going to kick you out, Taako. You saved the fucking Bureau of Balance, not to mention the entirety of the city! You’re the one who rid us all of the Hunger, you don’t have to go anywhere. Whether or not you have powers doesn’t define your worth to us.” She gently took his hand, squeezing it in a reassuring manner. Taako let out a deep breath, relaxing slightly. “Did you think we were going to kick you to the curb because you sacrificed your powers?” Lucretia snorted.

“I mean… A little bit,” Taako admitted sheepishly. After taking a few hours to get his bearings, Kravitz brought him a change of clothes and helped him out of bed. They quickly found that he wasn’t as weak as he assumed and that he could walk just fine on his own. Taako walked out of the med bay, hand in hand with Kravitz, then heard a familiar rowdy voice shouting from the training room. Immediately dropping his boyfriend’s hand, he took off in the direction of the voice. Magnus and Merle were in the training room, Merle’s binding Magnus’ hands in thick vines that wrapped around his wrists a few times.

“You’re not tricking me into doing some weird plant fetish thing, right Merle?” Magnus looked down at his wrists.

“I’m just testing your strength!” Merle defended. “Whether or not this is something I’m into is irrelevant…” He muttered to himself.

“Gross!” Magnus ripped through the vines effortlessly. “I can’t believe I agreed to that!” He whined as Merle cackled.

“That was your first mistake, my dude.” Taako called out to them. “Merle pulled that one on me months ago.”

“Holy shit, you’re alive!” Magnus beamed as he and Merle ran over to him, wrapping Taako up in a big hug.

“We thought you were a goner, kiddo.” Merle shook his head. “When we found you, you looked like you weren’t even gonna make it back to the Bureau.”

“Yeah, sorry I kinda disappeared on you. I just… Needed to confront him myself, y’know?” Taako rubbed his neck, feeling embarrassed. He knew he should have talked to Merle and Magnus beforehand, but he was terrified to make them one of the Hunger’s targets as well. Besides, he made it out and now his friends would be safe from the Hunger’s attacks for good, and that’s all he cared about.

“We’re proud of you no matter what. Especially because now we’re gonna get paid for doing jack shit.” Merle nudged him playfully, causing Taako to laugh.

“You did great, Tay.” Magnus nodded in response and for once, Taako loved the nickname Magnus had given him. “Oh yeah! You’re up earlier than we assumed but uh, Merle and I have been working on a surprise for you.”

“What is it?” Taako raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Well, let me go grab something from my room real quick and we can take you there.” Magnus ran out of the room, leaving Taako and Merle standing there.

“... You’re not gonna kill me, right?” Taako asked after a second, breaking the silence.

“Pfft, you think we’d be secretive about it if we were?” Merle led him out of the room, noticing that Kravitz was leaning against the wall where Taako left him.

“Do you have any idea what this surprise is, babe?” Taako called out. Kravitz hugged him gently, planting a kiss to the top of his head.

“You know I do. But you’re just gonna have to wait and see,” he winked, causing Taako to groan in annoyance.

“Fuckin’ hate surprises.” He muttered to himself. Magnus ran back down the hall breathlessly, holding up a key.

“Got it! We can head out now!” Magnus beamed, proud of himself. The three of them left the Bureau, following the route they’d walked many times before on their Reclaimer missions. The neighborhood got more and more familiar and Taako stopped in front of his apartment building, a small smile spreading across his face.

“What are we doing here, boys?” He asked, though he had a fairly good idea what the answer was. “Didn’t we already get my shit from here ages ago?” It felt like it had been so long, when in reality it had been maybe 4 months since he’d been home. The trio climbed the stairs to his apartment, Magnus handing over the key once they made it to the right door. Taako carefully opened it, bracing himself for whatever lay inside. Nothing popped out at him, which was a relief, but he noticed they’d recreated his apartment from before he joined the Bureau of Balance’s ranks. But on top of his impeccably decorated living room, he noticed way more photos on the walls and on the bookshelves. Taako couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he walked through the threshold of the apartment. He picked up a picture frame from the nearest shelf and wiped away a tear as he saw a candid photo of him laughing with Merle and Magnus, the three of them looking genuinely happy in each other’s company.

“D’ya like it, Taako?” Merle spoke up, sitting on the arm of the couch. Taako wiped another tear away, laughing at how emotional he’d gotten just from seeing him and his friends being happy together.

“Yeah, Merle, I fucking love it. Thanks, you guys.” Taako pulled them both into a hug. They heard a knock on the door and Taako looked at the doorway with a confused look. “Anyone else coming over?” He asked quietly.

“We may or may not have invited everyone over because you deserve a little party after what you did for us.” Magnus grinned in response. Taako rolled his eyes in fake annoyance, but was still smiling.

“Come on in, losers!” Taako called out and the door opened. The rest of his friends, his  _ family _ , all walked through the door, carrying various snacks and decorations. Kravitz and Barry hung a banner that read “Thanks For Saving Our Asses!” that Lup had obviously handwritten above the mantle, perfectly framing the photos on the shelf beneath it. Taako helped Angus clear off his coffee table as Lucretia placed down the treats they’d all brought with them. Pouring everyone some champagne, save for little Angus, who had a juice box of his choosing, Lup raised her chipped floral mug that she’d grabbed from Taako’s cupboards and beamed out at everyone in the room.

“I say we make a toast to my dumbass brother and favorite person, Taako!” Lup laughed, then paused and turned to her left. “Sorry Barry,  _ one of  _ my favorite people.”

“Eh, tonight he gets to be your favorite person,” Barry chuckled, holding up his own cup. “Give your speech, Lu!”

“Well, let me say some sappy shit that will  _ not  _ leave this room,” she winked, giving Taako a playful look. “My brother is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. After he was left alone, he picked himself up and went for what he believed. Granted, he was kind of a shitty villain. But then he became a hell of a hero and I couldn’t be prouder of him. I love you so much, Koko, you deserve everything good that’s going to come your way.” She raised her mug higher.

“Hell yeah, let’s hear it for Tay!” Magnus whooped in response as the rest of them cheered along with him. Taako was equal parts embarrassed, flattered, and completely overjoyed. Kravitz planted a small kiss to Taako’s head, murmuring a soft congratulations as everyone kicked off the party. 

No amount of words could describe how relieved Taako felt. For the first time in his life, he felt like he actually earned the good things that were coming his way. Yes, he was no longer the hero he’d tried so hard to become, but he wasn’t the villain he was forced to become either. For once, he was content to just be Taako; because Just Taako had people who loved him no matter what, Just Taako felt finally happy and Just Taako was ready to live the rest of his life as a totally normal person who happened to be surrounded by some of Neverwinter’s best heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending for Taako! He gets a well deserved rest, and that's a wrap on this story. Thank you SO goddamn much to everyone who's been along for this journey with me! I appreciate every single comment, kudos, and even every hit this fic gets! It's been a passion project that I've been working on for over a year now, and now it's finally complete for everyone to see. I literally cannot thank you enough for your support on this, it's the first multi-chapter fic I've ever completed and it's such an accomplishment for me.
> 
> If you think this is the last of this superhero universe, you're sorely mistaken. I'm working on a prequel to this fic focused on Taako and Kravitz' relationship before this story begins, so I'd be on the lookout for that! Let me know what you all thought about this fic and what you'd be interested in seeing from me in the future. Thank you again, I love each and every one of you for reading to the end of this fic.
> 
> xx Matt


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